1) Steve Silberman On Autism Here is Steve Silberman writing powerfully about acceptance of autism. Along the way, he deals with issues of holism and reductionism. 2) Loneliness Study The BBC has been promoting an online study of loneliness. I did the survey on Friday. Here is the information screen. On a previous screen, there […]

1) Neurogenesis When we study plasticity of the brain, we touch on the controversy of whether adults can develop new neurons. It was thought for many years that adults could not grow new neurons. 20 years ago, research began to emerge which suggested that the brain could produce new cells in the same way as […]

No post last week due to the mocks. 1) Charlotte Church – Inside My Brain This is very good from the BBC. Charlotte Church explores what is known about the biological basis, with a focus on some cutting edge therapy. She also speaks to her mum about the experience of bipolar disorder. There is a […]

1) All In The Mind Two good things from All In The Mind this week. Firstly, there was a report on a scheme to make the films of the lives of people with dementia. Enabling them to preserve episodic memory in this way reduces anxiety and preserves a sense of self. Secondly, there is an […]

1) The Disease Model When we were studying free will and determinism the other week, we saw that regarding mental illness as a disease like any other removes stigma because it treats mental illness as an illness like any other. The negative side to this is that people think there is nothing they can do […]

1) All In The Mind – Attachment You need to wind about ten minutes into this programme to find a discussion on attachment with Elizabeth Meins. She challenges the way in which attachment is linked to later disorders. She emphasises that attachments are not stable and change over time. She also challenges the idea that […]

1) OCD As Dysfunctional Habit This podcast from MQ looks at OCD not as the product of irrational thinking but as a dysfunctional habit. The idea has been around for a while and is controversial but the research and the personal testimony are interesting. 2) Aspergers And Me Chris Packham’s documentary last week was […]

1) The Touch Of Madness This article is a long read but, if you stick with it, a rewarding one. It describes the work of Nev Jones, someone who has both studied psychosis and experienced it. At the heart of this is how we define and respond to abnormality. 2) And Another Long Read […]

1) Nigel Owens On Bulimia Nervosa Eating disorders is an area of Psychology where alpha bias has persisted. They are seen as being peculiarly female problems. This is challenged in this article by Nigel Owens, the rugby referee. The article reminds us that eating disorders can affect males as well as females. It also reminds […]

1) Mental Illness In South Asian Communities We will be looking at cultural bias as part of the Year 2 course this year. We’ll look at ethnocentrism: judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture. We’ll also be looking at cultural relativism: the idea that standards and values can only be meaningful and […]